Machine for finishing tucked fabrics



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"MACHINE FOR FINISHING TUOKED FABRICS.

No. 287,615. Patented Ooh/30, 1883.

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MACHINE FOR FINISHING TUGKED Fumes. V No. 287,615. I Patented Oct. 30,1883 Uni-ran STATES OFFIC NORMAN E. onnniv, OF'FALL' RIVER, MAssAoHUsnrTs.

VMACHINEI FOR, FINISHING'TUCKED FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 287,615, dated Octoberso, 1823.

Applicationfiled June 19,1888. (No model.)

To a whom it may concern Be it known that I, NORMANLE. BORDEN,

and useful Improvements in Machines for Finishing Tucked and otherSimilar Fabrics; and I do hereby declare that the followingspecification, taken in connection withthe drawings furnished andforming a part of the same, is a the sition 5. 6., the folds r tucks arenormally lying, for instance, toward one edge of the fabric, and mustbereversed in position, so asto lie toward the opposite edge. Heretoforesuch fabrics have been generally operatedup on by hand for thus properlylaying the tucks, although a machine with a revolving brush has beenheretofore used by me with but slight advance in economic results ascompared with hand-labor.

The object of my present invention is to reduce the cost of finishingthis line of goods to a minimum, and to enable it to be performed evenmore satisfactorily than it has heretofore been accomplished by the moreexpensive hand operations. I

My improved machine, in its best form, em-

bodies calendering-rolls, although it will bewithin certain portions ofmy invention if the calendering'operation be performed in a separatemachine, inasmuch as the tucks can be properly laid in my machine, if,in lieu of the calender-rolls, smaller and merely feeding or feeding andcompressing rolls be employed, so that the fabricmay be properly fedthrough the machine and delivered-to a detachable take-up or cloth-roll,and be in proper condi tion for transfer on said of Fall River, in thecounty of Bristol and State of'Massachusetts, have invented certain newMy machine also embodies a traversing brush, serving asa lateral wiperfor the tucks, -a cloth-bed" co operating therewith, leading andcompressing rolls, and an auxiliary wiper which preliminarily preparesthe fabric forits delivery to the traversing brush. Means forfeeding andfor rolling the fabric are of course essential if the machine contains-no"calender-rol1s, and they are desirable in part'if the latter beemployed.

After fully describing the machine shown in the drawings and its mode ofoperation, the features deemed novel will be specified in the severalclaims hereunto annexed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an end view of one of my machinesin its best form. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig.

3 is a central longitudinal vertical section of the same on line at,Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is atop view of the cloth-bed. detached from beneath thetraversing brush. Figs. 5 and 6, respectively, represent tucked fabricsprior to and after passing through my machine in top view and section ineach case.

The frame'A may be indefinitely varied in itsoonstruction, according tothe particular lineof service intended, provision being made,substantially as indicated, for the requisite bearings for the variousmovable portions of the machine. As here shown, the frame A is.constructed to provide for vertically-movable boxes for thecalender-rolls B B, these latter being mounted as usual in ordinarycalenderingamachines, and provided with the usual means for causing theupper roll, .13, to bear forcibly upon the coincident surface of thelower roll, B, and the usual inclined brackets,

a, and cloth-roll a are employed for rolling up thefabric as it leavesthe calender-rolls.

The devices for wiping or laying the tucks down flatly are termed by mewipers, and I employ two of these for obtaining the best results 'z'.e., smoothly-laid tucks-with the least possible cost for attendance andmaximum rate of speed in operation.

It is tobe understood that the prior machine, hereinbefore referred to,as heretofore used by me embodied a revolving cylindrical brushoperating parallel with the fabric and with the linesof tucks, inconnection with a concave revolving cloth bed-roll of sufiicient lateralarea of bed to receive the fabric endwise and enable the brush to sweepor wipe laterally in the arc of a circle over the tucks from one edge ofthe fabric to the other. This concave presentation of the fabric to thebrush necessitated close attention, many attendants for handling andcontrolling the fabric, and very slow operation of the machine, and thecharacter of the work performed therewith was liable to be irregular.

A characteristic feature of my machine is a horizontal wiper, whichenables the fabric to be delivered thereto flatly and in a properlydistended condition, and it is in like manner delivered from said wiperto compressing-rolls or calender-rolls, or to both in succession, andthereforeI am enabled to perform the operation rapidly, and with fewattendants. In fact, no more are required than for an ordinarycalendering-machine, and the finished fabric is of a regular and uniformcharacter.

My main wiper consists of the horizontal endless brush 0, composed oftufts of bristles in an endless belt mounted upon pulleys or drums b atopposite sides of the machine, and one of said drums is geared to adriving-pulley, I), through which power is applied to the brush forcausing it to continuously operate while the machine is in use. Beneaththe lower side of said brush is a cloth-bed, c, and between them thetucked fabric passes longitudinally. The cloth-bed or the brush-drumbearings, or both, may be capable of vertical adjustment, so as to causethe brush to bear with more or less force upon the fabric. As the loweror working face of the brush is continuously moving crosswise of themachine andof the fabric, it has atendency to laterally move the fabricon its bed, and therefore I deem it desirable that the bearing-surfaceof the bed be serrated or roughened,so as to fricti onally engage withand hold the fabric against said laterally-moving tendency. I find thatsaid bed serrated angularly and having sharp edges at each serrationserves a good purpose. It is, however, obvious thatif the fabric infront of and behind the brush be firmly gripped by leading andcompressing rollers the brushwiper will be prevented from unduly movingthe fabric laterally; but it is desirable that the fabric be compressedas little as possible until after the tucks have been at least partiallyflattened or laid.

Between the brush and the calender-rolls is a pair of compressing-rolls,d, between which the fabric passes directly from the brush, the constantmovement of the latter assuredly causing the tucks to be presented intheir proper flattened condition to the bite of said compressing-rolls.Between the compressingrolls d a'nd the calender-rolls isaroll, e,whichis introduced as a tightener for more assuredly causing the fabric to bepresented smoothly to the calender-rolls, or to a cloth-roll if thefabric be not calendered in this machine and the calendenrolls be notemployed. 7

It is to be understood that the brush-wiper and the compressing-rolls (Iwill enable the machine, if operated at comparatively slow speed, toperform the laying of the tucks in a satisfactory manner; but with thesame number of attendants the speed of the machine can be augmented toabout six hundred yards per hour, if I employ an auxiliary wiper topreliminarily prepare the fabric for the main wiper O. Said auxiliarywiper C may be like the one used as the main wiper; but I prefer that itbe in the form of a revolving roll spirally scored, with angular edges fat the scores, and to assure a good and reliable control over the tucksI prefer that said roll be also longitudinally scored, as at f, whichmakes each convolution of the angular edges into several sections, eachof which, at its end, has a comparatively sharp or pointed edge, whichwill so effectually engage with a tuck as to turn it sidewise, it beingunderstood that said roll is rotated so that thespiral movement of theserrations is in the direction in which the tucks are to be laid, andthat said roll revolves more rapidly than the speed at which the fabricis passed through the machine.

At the rear of the spiralroll-wiper 0 there is a pair ofcompressing-rolls, d, which, in function, correspond to the rolls d, inthat they receive the fabric from said wiper; but they also serve toproperly present the fabric to the main wiper. It is to be understoodthat these wipers may be reversed in position without materiallyaffecting the results; but I prefer the soft and yielding action of thebristles of the wiper O to precede the operation of the calender-rolls,if they be employed, and, as a rule, if but one wiper be employed, Ishould use the brush-wiper.

It will be observed that the calender-rolls constitute the feedingmechanism by which the fabric is drawn through the machine, and that ifthey be not employed as calenders they will be of service as feeders,and such feeding-rolls or equivalent positively-driven mech anismwill ofcourse be always employed as, for instance, a positively-drivencloth-roll can be relied upon for feeding with fair but not so goodresults.

It is obvious that my improvements without real calendering-rolls may beembodied in a machine mounted upon casters and provided with means forready anchorage upon a floor, whereby it may be at will placed in frontof any suitable calendering-machine for temporary service, and asreadily removed when other lines of goods are to be calendered. It isalso obvious that the compressing-rolls d may be positively driven, ifit be desirable to employ them also as feeding-rolls.

For the better understanding of the operation of my machine, I have inFig. 5 illustrated a piece of tucked fabric, 9, in its normal condition,in which the tucks g, as will be seen, are raised and inclined towardthe left hand, leaving the usual chain-stitch line,

9 wholly exposed; and in Fig. 6 I illustrate the same in a finishedcondition, thetucks having been properly turned toward the right handand flatly laid, with the light stitch-lineg exposed and the heavystitch-line concealed.

Referring now to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the fabric properlydampened, is passed beneath the auxiliary or preliminary wiper O,

. which, by its spiral sectional scores, wipes or turns the tucks in adirection opposite to that in which theyare normally'inclined, and thatthe adjacent compressing-rolls cl receive the tucks thus laid and setthem for proper presentation to the main'or brush wiper O, and that fromit the compressing-rolls d receive thefabric and deliver it properly byway of the tightener-roll e to the calender-rolls, and

. that the cloth-roll receives and rolls up the to advantage, after themanner of tuckings.

As in all cloth-finishing machines tension devices of some kind areemployed, and to illustrate one form of tension it will be understoodthat the fabric passes into themachine between the coincident surfacesof the tension-brake h and a stationary top bar, I at the front end ofthe machine.

In some cases I deem it desirable to employ a second spiral wiping-rollin front of the ten sion-brake, so that the latter can only bear uponthe tucks in at least a partially-flattened condition,-and with someclasses of goods a lighter tension device may be employed at the frontof the machine and a second heavier tension between the two wipers. As arule, the pairs of, rolls (1 (1 should be mounted in adjustablebearings, whereby the desired degree of. compression can be maintainedand regulated for various kinds of goods.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The combination, substantially'as hereinbeforedescribed, of a horizontally-operating wiper and the compressing rollsparallel therewith, organized for finishing tucked or similar fabrics,as set forth. 2

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of thehorizontally-operating wiping-brush, the cloth-bed, andcompressing-rolls organized for finishing tucked or similar fabrics, asset forth.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of thehorizontal brushwiper, the auxiliary spiral roll-wiper andcompressing-rolls organized for finishingtucked or similar fabrics, asset forth.

. 4. The combination, substantiallyas hereinbefore described, ofcalender-rolls, one or more horizontally-operating wipers andcompressing-rolls organized for finishing tucked or similar fabrics, asset'forth. V I

/ NORMAN E. BORDEN.

Witnesses:'

GEORGE E. BAMFORD, HENRY H. EARL.

